Happy Easter!

Happy Easter

It's so lovely to see some Spring weather at last.  I'm enjoying knitting some lighter weight shawls and cotton tops along with more socks of course (you can never have too many socks!)

For any readers who are not local and are interested in the shop, I have begun a daily photo journal of images from the shop across the Clyde. Feel free to take a peek at my view!

http://www.blipfoto.com/onceasheep

New in the shop

New colours of Rico Superba Mexico
This is a fantastic machine washable sock yarn, 75% wool and 25% nylon.  420m/100g.







New colours of Debbie Bliss Amalfi
A beautiful, drapey, DK weight yarn, perfect for summer knits. 70% cotton, 15% viscose, 10% linen, 5% silk. 100m/50g.




Coming soon

Beautiful wooden knitting looms



Knitting made easy with this beautiful hardwood smooth finish knitting board. Great for small projects such as bags, scarves, slippers and baby clothes. Ideal to carry around as it easily fits into your hand bag!

The wood spacers adjust to 3 different settings of 1/2, 1 and 1-1/2 " between the boards to achieve various gauges in your knitting. This board has 22 pins on each board for 22 double stitches. The spacing between the pins is 5/16" for a solid knit. Knits approx 12-14" wide.

The package contains:- knitting board - instructions - knit hook - 4 projects - how to DVD - adjustable spacers - 2 4" bolts



Made from beautiful hardwood with steel ball tipped pins. Each board has patented recessed knitting surface for ease of lifting the yarn and adjustable wood spacers of 1/2, 1, 1-1/2" settings to achieve many different gauges. The steel pins are spaced 5/16" apart for easy knitting. The board has 84 pins for 84 double stitches. The maximum knitting width of this board is approx 30-45" depending on the yarn and spacers being used.
Create sweaters, cardigans, shawls, hats, scarves, baby clothes and so much more!

The package contains:- knitting board - instructions - knit hook - 5 projects - how to DVD - adjustable spacers - 2 x 4" bolts




No knitting experience needed! You can create beautiful socks with a simple wrap and hook method.

The Kb sock loom is completely adjustable. You can knit a baby sock to a large man's sock. Simply move the slider down the loom to the desired number of pegs and then lock in place the the wing nut. Pin spacing 3/8".

Sock Loom contains:- sock loom - knit hook - instructions - how to DVD. All in an easy to carry vinyl bag.




A small 6" (15cm) fun sized and easy to carry around Knitting Board, perfect for so many small projects.
Create your own designs on this lovely Birch wood loom.

Kit includes:- knitting board - knit hook - how to instructions - 7 projects.

Workshops

All workshops between April and June 2011 are sold out.

I hope to arrange some new dates soon to include crochet, weaving and spinning.

Additional Workshop

Due to demand for Crochet workshops, I have added an additional date in May.
Additional Workshop

Crochet for Beginners 21 May 2011
A flexible crochet day suitable for both beginners and those who want to learn more
There will be a chance to learn or brush up on basic crochet stitches in the morning and to learn Tunisian crochet in the afternoon, but feel free to bring your own agenda as this will be a flexible learning day!
All yarns and equipment will be supplied but you are welcome to bring some of your own yarns too

All workshops run from 10:30 to 3:30 and cost £45.00

Coffee, tea and biscuits are provided, lunch can be obtained from one of the many coffee shops, bakeries, bars or restaurants close by.
To reserve a place on any workshop please email karen@onceasheep.com or call Karen on 01475 648089
A deposit of £10 will secure your place.

Newsletter for March 2011

New in the shop
The long awaited new book, Little Red in The City, from acclaimed Scottish Designer, Ysolda Teague, is due for publication in March and I am really looking forward to getting stocks of the book in soon.
In anticipation of the book arriving I now have stocks of Lorna's Laces in Ysolda Red (a colour blended by Ysolda herself) and Blackberry. Both colours are featured in one of the designs from the new book, Laika. I am busy knitting up a sample which is looking beautiful in the Ysolda Red colour.

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock

Ysolda Red


Blackberry


Noro Aya

As featured in Noro Flowers 2.


50% Cotton, 35% Silk, 15% wool
50 gram/135m
Needles 4mm-4.5mm/US5-7




New books have been delivered from both Rowan and Debbie Bliss.

Rowan Cotton Classics, 16 patterns for men and women designed by Martin Storey.



Debbie Bliss Eco Family. A collection celebrating friends and family in a range of designs for men, women and children. The knits are mostly relaxed and casual but there are also designs for a smarter look.



Debbie Bliss Beach Belles. A collection of six knits that have been designed to flatter "real women" with shapes that create waists or skim over hips.



Debbie Bliss magazine, Spring/Summer 2011. A collection of fashion designs created exclusively for the magazine featuring fabulous florals, colourful kids, designs to brighten the home and lots of lovely lace.



New in from Louisa Harding

Ondine


Hebe


Ianthe



Also new in from Interweave
Knitting Plus. Written by a plus size knitter to give you the tools and techniques you need to create garments that fit and flatter you. Includes 15 patterns.



Workshops

Spinning for Beginners 9th April 2011
Suitable for beginners who want to learn the techniques required to spin their own yarn
Wheels and all materials are provided
By the end of the session you will understand the mechanics of wheel spinning, be able to card and draft fibre, spin, ply and skein your own yarn

Silk Spinning 14th May 2011
The opportunity to sample some luxury fibre and learn to spin all forms of silk
This course will explore how to spin the different forms of silk and how to get different thicknesses and types of yarn from them
Suitable for all levels of spinners (on wheels or spindles) except for complete beginners (ie: those who cannot spin at all)

Crochet for Beginners 11th June 2011
A flexible crochet day suitable for both beginners and those who want to learn more
There will be a chance to learn or brush up on basic crochet stitches in the morning and to learn broomstick crochet in the afternoon, but feel free to bring your own agenda as this will be a flexible learning day!
All yarns and equipment will be supplied but you are welcome to bring some of your own yarns too

All workshops run from 10:30 to 3:30 and cost £45.00

All materials and equipment are provided
Coffee, tea and biscuits are provided, lunch can be obtained from one of the many coffee shops, bakeries, bars or restaurants close by.
To reserve a place on any workshop please email karen@onceasheep.com or call Karen on 01475 648089
A deposit of £10 will secure your place.

It's February already!

Opening hours
Please note that the shop will now be opening 10:00 - 17:00 Tuesday to Saturday. (Monday opening remains at 13:00 - 17:00)

New in the shop
Yarn

Rico Superba Bamboo. Super soft Merino and bamboo blend 4 ply yarn. Perfect for socks, shawls and garments. Available in 8 shades. (Apologies for the quality of the images)

   






Rowan Revive. 4 new shades in the popular Rowan Revive, recycled DK cotton/silk blend.

     


Books


Debbie Bliss Bella 8 new designs from Debbie Bliss suitable for DK weight Cotton and Cotton blend yarn



Noro Flowers 2 with 12 new designs by Jenny Watson in the range of Noro Yarns including, laceweight, sockweight, DK and Aran weight

Rowan Purelife Classics 12 designs by Martin Storey featuring Rowan Purelife Revive and Organic Cotton



Rowan Summer Baby  20 designs for newborn to 4 year olds in beautiful spring and summer weight yarns

Workshops

Saturday 26th February   
Colour blending for spinners

A course to learn how to create your own unique fibre blends for spinning
We will look at how to combine different colours and textures in carded batts and learn to spin them in different ways to see the effects they produce
The workshop will include how to combine colours to create complimentary and contrasting shades for knitting and weaving projects and we will add silk, alpaca and other fibres to our blends
This workshop is a lot of fun and involves quite a bit of plunging in and being creative
Suitable for all abilities of spinners from those who have just learned to those who are more experienced

Saturday 5th March
Learn to weave

Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom
Rigid heddle looms are easy to use and great for creative weaving
This course is for people who want to learn to weave from scratch or those who have been doing a bit of weaving on their own but need some guidance
We will use a range of plain, fancy and textured yarns to weave a sample and give you ideas to work on at home
We will also have a go at warping up a loom
All workshops run from 10:30 to 3:30 and cost £45.00
All materials and equipment are provided
Coffee, tea and biscuits are provided, lunch can be obtained from one of the many coffee shops, bakeries, bars or restaurants close by.
To reserve a place on any workshop please email karen@onceasheep.com or call Karen on 01475 648089
A deposit of £10 will secure your place.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year will be full of wool, fibre and fun!

It's been a while since the last Once A Sheep Blog post and what a busy time it has been.  It seems that everyone wanted something woolly for Christmas this year and the shop was packed with knitters, weavers and spinners in the weeks leading up to the holidays. I hope that you had some time to relax with your favourite project.

Now that we are in the New Year it's time to think about learning new skills or polishing up on old ones. I have decided to introduce some new courses for the first three months this year and I hope there will be something that inspires you.


Workshops

Saturday 29th January
Make a crocheted scarf or shawl with beads – the magic of chain stitch
This workshop is suitable for beginners as we will use simple techniques
It will also be of interest to those who have done some crochet but are not very experienced or expert crocheters
Chain stitch is the beginning of nearly all crochet but can also be used to make lovely lacy shawls and string bags

In this workshop we will use Rowan Kidsilk  Haze and beads to create a lovely shawl using chain stitch and simple edging techniques
There will be chance to work on technique in an individual way and to have a shawl or scarf to finish at home

Saturday 26th February
Colour blending for spinners
A course to learn how to create your own unique fibre blends for spinning
We will look at how to combine different colours and textures in carded batts and learn to spin them in different ways to see the effects they produce

The workshop will include how to combine colours to create complimentary and contrasting shades for knitting and weaving projects and we will add silk, alpaca  and other fibres to our blends
This workshop is a lot of fun and involves quite a bit of plunging in and being creative
Suitable for all abilities of spinners from those who have just learned  to those who are more experienced

Saturday 5th March
Learn to weave
Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom
Rigid heddle looms are easy to use and great for creative weaving

This course is for people who want to learn to weave from scratch or those who have been doing a bit of weaving on their own but need some guidance
We will use a range of plain, fancy and textured yarns to weave a sample and give you ideas to work on at home
We will also have a go at warping up a loom

All workshops run from 10:30 to 3:30 and cost £45.00
All materials and equipment are provided
Coffee, tea and biscuits are provided, lunch can be obtained from one of the many coffee shops, bakeries, bars or restaurants close by.

To reserve a place on any workshop please email karen@onceasheep.com or call Karen on 01475 648089
A deposit of £10 will secure your place.

What's on yours?

New in the shop

Christmas Wish List Service Open

Once A Sheep is happy to launch the Christmas Wish List 2010

Just two simple steps will guarantee Christmas happiness

1.   Simply fill in details of what is on your Once A Sheep wish list this year

2.   Once A Sheep will discreetly “advise” gift buyers what might be a suitable purchase for their loved one


Gift Lists can be completed in-store, on the phone, by email or Ravelry PM
karen@onceasheep.com
01475 648089

 

New Yarn

Rico Poems 4 ply in 6 beautiful shades

This super soft yarn is ideal for lace shawls, garments and of course socks.

100grm ball 420mtrs.
75% New Wool Superwash 25% Polyamide

Fibre	Polyamide, Wool
Yarn Weight	4 ply
Needle Size	2-3mm
Meterage	420m

Add Your Tags:

Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.

New Books

Cherished by Kim Hargreaves

With a chill in the air, winter draws closer...

Wrap up in layers of love worn threads to defy the season's icy breath. In a rural setting, deep textures and soft femininity blend with masculine lines to create a cosy gathering.

You may also be interested in the following product(s)

Touching Elegance by Kim Hargreaves £ 16.95

Winter Blooms by Kim Hargreaves £ 16.95

Misty by Kim Hargreaves £ 16.95

Precious by Kim Hargreaves £ 16.95

Thrown Together by Kim Hargreaves £ 12.95

Published	2010
Season	Autumn/Winter

Add Your Tags:

Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.

Workshops

A few spaces remain on the last 3 workshops for 2010

Begin to Crochet 20th Nov 2010
A course for those who have never crocheted before or who have done it in the past but cannot quite remember how to do it
We will learn the basic stitches and principles, how to use different yarns to get pleasing effects, and look at how you can crochet without the need for a pattern, which is often easier!

Cost: £45.00
3 places available

Christmas Crochet 27th Nov 2010
Learn to make small gift items and decorations for Christmas using crochet techniques that lend themselves to glitz as well as being useful in regular crochet.
Make items to take away with you and learn the basics of designing your own small pieces.
All materials will be provided but you are welcome to bring any beads, sequins, sparkly yarn or other bits from your own collection to add to the fun.

Cost: £45.00
4 places available

Spinning for Beginners 11 Dec 2010
Suitable for beginners who want to learn the techniques required to spin their own yarn
Wheels and all materials are provided
By the end of the session you will understand the mechanics of wheel spinning, be able to card and draft fibre, spin, ply and skein your own yarn

Cost: £45.00
1 place available

All workshops run from 10:30 to 3:30
Coffee, tea and biscuits are provided, lunch can be obtained from one of the many coffee shops, bakeries, bars or restaurants close by
For further information or to reserve a place send me an email at karen@onceasheep.com or book your place in the shop.
A £10 deposit will secure your place on the workshop.